Top cover construction for stoves



pf 20, 1943. A. G. SHERMAN TOP COVER CONSTRUCTION FOR STOVES Filed July 25, 1940 Patented Apr. 20, 1943 'IOP COVER CONSTRUCTION FOR STOVES Alvin G. Sherman, Grosse Pointe, Mich., assgnor to Globe American Corporation, Kokomo, Ind.,

a corporation Applica-tion July 25, 1940, Serial No. 347,351

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a top cover construction for stoves.

In modern gas and electric rang-es it is common practice to provide a top cover to cover the burners on the cooking top and to provide additional working space whenthe burners are not in use. When the burners are to be used, the top cover must be moved to a position where it does not interfere with the use of the burners and where it does not occupy valuable space.

One object of the present invention is to provide a construction for mounting a top cover on a stove such that the movements between the use and non-use positions may be made quickly and easily with a minimum of effort on the part of the housewife.

Another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement in which the housewife, in moving the top cover from one position to another, needs to lift only a portion of the weight.

' Another object of the invention is to provide a construction in which the top cover in its nonuse position is completely out of the wey and preferably out of sight.

Other objects of the invention the full nature thereof will be understood from the accompanying drawing and the following description and claims:

Fig. l is a perspective view of one end ol a stove having the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 :is an elevational view of a detail of construction with a part in section.

Referring now to Fig. l, there is shown a portion of a stove having a side pontoon IE5, a cooking top II, a back rail I2 and a back plate I3 extending from the pontoon Ii! to a similar pontoon on the opposite side of the stove (not shown). The cooking top is provided with burners i4 shown in Fig. 2. A top cover support member` I5 is journaled in the pontoon i@ and in a bracket I6 secured to the back plate I'S. Said member projects beyond the end of the stove and is provided with an arm having two portions indicated by reference numbers I and i8. In the position shown in solid lines in Fig. l the portion I1 extends forwardly and upwardly and the portion i8 extends forwardly adjacent to and substantially parallel with the edge of the cooking top Il. A cover plate I9 is mounted on the portion I8 of the arm, preferably by means of the construction shown in Fig. 3. Said construction consists of a hinge member 2i! secured to the undersurface of the top cover I9 and hingedly mounted on the portion I8 of the support member. A set screw 2| secured to the support member and operating in a suitable slotted opening in the hinged member 20 limits the pivotal movement of said members and prevents longitudinal movement. thereof.

The normal position of the parts when the top cover is in use is shown in Fig. 2 and shown by solid lines in Fig. 1. In this position the cover plate I9 overlies the b-urners I4 and provides free working surface when the burners are not in use. When the cover plate is to be removed, it is rst lifted to an intermediate position indicated by broken lines in Fig. 1, the suiiix A being added to the corresponding reference numbers in the drawing to indicate the intermediate position of the several parts. In this position the cover plate I9 is clear of the edge of the cooking top. It may then be dropped downwardly to the out-ofuse position shown in broken lines in Fig. l and indicated by the suflix B added to the reference numbers. In this position it hangs downwardly substantially parallel with the end plate 2| of the stove. Usually the end of a stove is placed in the kitchen close to a wall, sink, cabinet or other kitchen apparatus with but a small space between them. When the stove is so placed the cover plate I9 may occupy the space between the stove and the adjacent apparatus and so is completely out of the way and out of sight. The cover plate I9 is provided with a knob 22 which is easily reached from the front of the stove when the plate is in its non-use position and which may be used to return the cover plate to its position of use.

The end of the support member I5, which is journaled in bracket I5, is provided with an arm 24 to which there is secured a tension spring 25 anchored at its opposite end to the bracket I6. Said spring normally urges the support member I5 about its horizontal axis in opposition to the weight of the cover plate I9. By proper choice of the characteristics of the spring, it may be arranged so that the plate I9 may be freely dropped to its non-use position without shock or jar and may be raised from that position to the position lSA with a minimum of effort on the part of the housewife. Preferably the spring is relatively long so that the force exerted thereby does not change greatly between the upper and lower positions of the cover plate I9. In the lower position the spring preferably counterbalances the entire weight of the cover plate and in the upper position it then counterbalances all but a small portion cf said weight. Stop pins 2'1 carried by the bracket I6 engage the arm 214 to limit rotation of the support member l5.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the invention provides a relatively simple top cover construction which may be readily put in position for use and returned to an out-of-the-Way position With very little effort and which in its non-use position is hidden from view and does not detract from the appearance of the stove. Preferably a similar construction is provided for the opposite end of the stove, the single bracket I6 serving for both constructions. In Fig. 1 the reference numbers H5, |24 and |25 indicate parts for the opposite,l construction similar to parts I5, 24 and 25 previously described.

The invention has been described in one of its preferred forms, the details of which may be varied by those skilled in the art Without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a stove having rear, top and side portions and a cover plate adapted to hang adjacent one side portion of the stove in a position of non-use and to overlie a part at least of the top portion in a position of use, a support for said plate comprising a rod having a portion pivotally mounted on the stove and extending horizontally adjacent the rear of said stove, and having a forwardly bent portion in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said horizontal portion, said forwardly bent portion pivotally carrying said cover plate, an arm secured to said horizontally extending portion, and a tension spring connected to said arm and urging said support about the axis of said horizontallyrextending portion in a direction to bring said forwardly extending portion to a position parallel with said side portion of the stove and closely adjacent said side portion.

2. In a stove, a structure as dened by claim l, with a bracket portion carried by the rear portion of the stove and apertured to receive and support said rod, and a pair of spaced members carried by said bracket portion and having stop portions extending parallel to the rod for engagement by said arm for limiting movement of the arm and the rod in opposite directions.

3. In a stove, a structure as dened by claim 1, with a second rod and arm and tension spring, the rods being longitudinally aligned and having ends terminating adjacent each other, a U- shaped bracket carried by the rear portion of the stove and provided with apertures to receive one end of each rod, a pair of spaced stop pins extending across and supported by the bracket, the tension spring for each arm being anchored at one end thereto and at the opposite end to the midportion of the U-shaped bracket, and the arms being secured to the rods at the ends thereof projecting through the apertures in the bracket.

ALVIN G. SHERMAN. 

